As a devoted pet parent, whenever I drop off my furry baby at the vet for her checkup, I feel as though a part of me is missing. So, I always find myself counting down the hours until I can have my sweet girl back in my arms again.  

Because vet visits can be really scary for our furry friends, especially when their appointment is a bit longer, we humans need to prioritize picking them up as soon as possible.

I thought every pet parent felt this way, but then I came across a story about a puppy who ended up staying at the vet longer than it should.

Left Behind

When Dominique Humphries took to TikTok to post a video about an owner who brought their puppy in for an appointment and never came back to pick them up, the internet was left heartbroken.

Humphries stated that she made multiple attempts to contact the owner of the Pit Bull and Labrador Retriever mix and every time she would get a hold of them, they would tell her that they were on their way.

When nobody came to pick up this sweet boy, the veterinary assistant from Atlanta, Georgia, was left puzzled as to why somebody would do such a thing.

“The owner didn’t want to pick up the dog because they were scared of losing him to a health issue, even though the doctor told them before that the dog was fine. They just got up and left the dog in the exam room, and we didn’t hear from them until the next day,” Humphries told Newsweek.

She also said that the pup was super friendly and loved playing along with hoomans. That is why the Atlanta vet office made sure to give him as much playtime as possible, even spending their lunchtime with him.

The video that Humphries posted gained a lot of attention and quickly became viral, with countless hoomans stating their concern about this adorable two-month-old puppy.

Pick-up Day

Three days later, the owner finally came to collect their pup. Unfortunately, since she was working on another pup, Humphries wasn’t able to confront them.

“They came to get the dog on the third day of it being at my clinic, which definitely made me sad because I feel like the patient deserves a better home. I have not heard from the owner since, and I’m fearful but also don’t want to know if something happened to the dog,” Humphries said.

Even though many of the commentators stated that the pup should not be with such a neglectful owner, Humphries was indeed bound by the veterinary protocol, which demanded that she take care of the pup until its owner picked it up.

“I wish there was more that I could’ve done for him, but I have to follow protocols from the hospital. I hope he’s doing great, but if I do have an update later on, I will keep everyone posted,” she concluded.

Final Word

I believe that the biggest takeaway of this story is that veterinary clinics aren’t doggo daycares!

It is important to remember that our dedicated vets have a very hard and sometimes even stressful task of keeping our furry babies happy and healthy and it is our job to try and make it as easy for them as possible.

So, please, when the next vet appointment rolls around, make sure that you not only clean and feed your pups, but that you are also at your given time slot, both at check-in and at pick-up!